EBC Day 01 - Kathmandu Arrival
EBC Index
Thamel
Thamel is what I would call a 'backpackers paradise' as the small stores that sold all sorts of trekking gear and paraphernalia along the narrow lanes were ubiquitous. I was extremely wary at first as there were touts everywhere that would greet you with a "Namaste!" but then go on to lower their voice and offer "young Nepalese girls" or marijuana. At the same time there were numerous cars and motorbikes whizzing by and honking, forcing you to jump out of their way.
Despite this, I quickly grew accustomed to the vibrant sights and smells of Kathmandu. Everyone was friendly (probably because they were desperate to sell their wares) and welcoming; and English, albeit broken, was fairly commonplace. I was fortunate enough to find and purchase a second-hand Adventurer Opti Water Purifier for the modest sum of NPR3800. I knew then that there was a bulb life for each steripen but the price was very reasonable, the Steripen looked very decent and the shop owner went so far as to get batteries to verify that it indeed worked. I managed to convince him to include the batteries as well as CR123 batteries tend to be a little pricey. I also purchased some trekking pants that had zip off legs so that it could also function as shorts for a mere USD12 (NPR1250).
As the day was winding down, I came upon a restaurant that was a little more than a shack by the side of the road that was full of people, both locals and foreigners. Figuring that that was an indication of quality, I decided to give it a try and ended up not regretting it! The place was called 'Newa Mo:mo Restaurant' and was known for its Nepali and Newari food. They even offered cooking courses. I found out later on that the place was moving to a better, more spacious site that was just off the main road near the junction of Bhagawati Bahal and Thamel Chowk. The chicken fry [sic] rice NPR210 that I had was good and came in a generous quantity.I finished off the day just reading my Kindle and people watching. There was an interesting conversation between a man who was wearing some sort of headgear reminiscent of a turban and another man that actually wore a turban! There were no free tables at the restaurant so the former just offered a seat to the latter and they struck up a conversation. It turned out that he was Russian and was financing his travels with the money from the rental of his apartment in Moscow. Apparently he also used to weigh 173 kg but his weight dropped down to 120 kg by just ceasing his consumption of beer! The conversation got a little more interesting when he spoke of the days of communism and how life was a lot easier for him then. With that kind of conversation around, I doubt many would be able to concentrate on their reading!
Day 1 Expenditure
Your breathtaking photo of the Jagannath temple got me wondering if you have a blog. I found the link in your Facebook profile and here I am.
My wife and I were toying with the idea of going to Nepal in February but the AirAsia tickets then are too pricey, so we settled on Laos instead. I think it was like more than RM1K one way or something ridiculous like that.
Good job Ramon! Exactly the type of blog anyone would wanna read if they were planning a trip! =D So detailed!
And How young is young? …for the girls that were offered?
Oh I have no idea.. I basically ignored those guys. Wouldn’t want to make it seem as if you were actually interested in their offers right?
Lol. Looks like your kinda blog entry. Thanks for including the budget breakdown.
Yeah I plan to document the cumulative costs throughout the trip..